Who would have thought that in 2017, a Wolfenstein game would not only prove itself the tour de force of a genre its long existed in, but a poignant, emotional pulp title that rivals some of the best and most brutal in wartime fiction.
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Story
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus picks up where 2014’s The New Order left off. Caroline, leader of the Kreisau Circle (an elite team of European rebels), has been captured — along with whoever you chose to save from the first game. Why? Well, the German U-boat you stole in the The New Order has been tracked and taken in. Enter William “B.J. Blaskowicz.
The game’s opening sequence grabs you by neck from the get-go, as you get your bearings as B.J., who wakes up on a gurney and has to traverse the U-boat, gun in hand, while rolling around in a wheelchair. It’s a simple touch, but this is where we’re introduced to the biggest facet of The New Colossus — inclusivity.
You take back the U-boat, a few major spoilery events take place, and the game begins. These first scenes are interspersed with flashbacks of B.J.’s childhood, proving that who the Nazis have deemed “Terror Billy” is really just a man whose tried his whole life to stand up for those among us that are least represented.
While the story hinges on insanity throughout, it never loses its heart. Of course, its heart is its characters, each one championing representation in direct contrast with the Nazi overlords in this dystopian alternate reality.
Anya is your incredible significant other, managing the resistance with a baby on the way. Wyatt/Fergus are the survivors, dealing with PTSD through drug use and psychedelics. Grace tackles stereotypes and wipes the floor with them as a strong, powerful black female leader raising a child and championing civil rights. And the list goes on, with Wolfenstein II handling things gracefully, whether its tackling body positivity, hate speech or anti-semitism.
While delving too deep into anything specific would rival on spoiler territory, we will tell you to look forward to one point in the game’s third act. Things get spacey, but if you keep your disbelief in check, its a highly rewarding, ironic and powerful sequence of events. Cryptic, huh?
And when the game’s credits roll after a close-to 10-hour experience, you’ll be itching to see what comes next. So, how’s it play?
Gameplay
Well, just as Doom (2016) learned from Wolfenstein: The New Order, the favor has been returned. The gunplay is taken up a notch in The New Colossus, as things like takedowns and dual-wielding feel ten times more aggressive, all with a booming Mick Gordon score carrying players throughout.
The weapons are powerful, heavy and pretty different from each other. And while takedowns may get repetitive after a while, there’s enough variety in everything else to keep players from getting bored too quickly.
Wolfenstein II also sports some insane difficulty options, and if you’re not prepared to hide a lot and hunt for health, than the lowest of those options is for you. If you’re up for the challenge, try tackling the “Mein Leiben” trophy, which has you taking on the entire game with only one life, no saves and on the highest difficulty. Good luck.
The maps and worlds of Wolfenstein II also offered a welcome callback to older entries in the series, where hunting for secrets, finding new ways to tackle obstacles and exploring were rewarded. Midway through the game, players are introduced to a gadget system through one of three inventions.
Without spoiling them, each offers a much-needed and extremely welcome shakeup to gameplay, allowing players to tackle firefights with more strategy, whether its barreling through enemies quicker, sneaking around or soaring above your enemies.
By the time you finish the main story of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, you might be itching for some more. Luckily the game does have some post-game content in the form of decoded Enigma missions and Nazi headhunts.
Aside from that, the game encourages multiple playthroughs so that players can upgrade all of their weapons, max out perks, try out the other gadgets and make different choices. The latter of these things is the most enticing, as there’s a natural curiosity in seeing how the game changes when you make a different choice.
That all being said, don’t expect yourself to be totally done with the game after the main story is done.
Verdict
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is the perfect case of right place at the right time. Aside from that, it’s a triumph in first-person storytelling, bringing what we love about films like Inglorious Basterds together with so much more.
While it doesn’t do anything revolutionary in the gameplay department, it’s hard not to give a game credit for perfecting its formula. From its passion for representation, to the wonders of its fast and fluid gameplay, Wolfenstein II is a worthy follow-up to one of the best shooters of the last ten years.
Does the game live up to expectations? Enthusiastically so.
Rating: Four and a half out of five stars.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is now available on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The game releases on Nintendo Switch next year. A review copy of the game was provided by the publisher.
